New Boat Delivery Schedules

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kellymcdaniel
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New Boat Delivery Schedules

#1 Post by kellymcdaniel » Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:56 am

I am curious what delivery schedules people are seeing on built to order boats. I have had a Sun Tracker on order since July and I am being told to not expect delivery until mid-November. I know that sales have been off the chart, but are all the manufacturers that far behind?

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steve1313
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#2 Post by steve1313 » Tue Sep 29, 2020 12:16 pm

Sounds reasonable.

Typically, during a normal year with normal demand 6-8 weeks is what I often hear quoted. Add in COVID, a crazy unanticipated demand and all the other 2020 craziness and that's not bad. A friend of mine just ordered a new Cobalt and was told to expect delivery in March.
Steve
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coherent
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#3 Post by coherent » Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:29 pm

I think as far as new pontoon availability is concerned it depends on the price bracket a bit. Out west you can find a few of the 60k-100k+ boats at the dealers. The more reasonably priced models in the 16-18-20 ft range are scarce no matter the manufacturer. I ordered a new Sun Tracker in July also. Their highest demand and most sales has been for the 16xl model and if you ordered in July you are most likely looking at Jan or as late as early spring. If you ordered a 18 dxl or a larger model, the demand is a bit lower and they are anywhere from a few days to a few weeks faster depending on the model. Problem is they keep pushing the expected build dates further and further into the future due to covid, parts availability and production issues. Back in July they were stating 6-8 weeks... two weeks later it was 8-10, then 10-12 and so on. By early Sep it was 18-20 weeks or so. From the beginning they told dealers not to make any promises on expected delivery dates. I was told mine was slated for Oct production and delivery in Nov. I'll believe it when I'm told it has shipped. You can call sun tracker sales or customer service and tell them your dealers name and your name and they should give you a date. They call it ETA or ship or whatever, but it seems it's actually estimated production start date and you can probably expect delivery 2 weeks or so after that date depending on truck loads and your location. Good luck!

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steve1313
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#4 Post by steve1313 » Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:18 am

It's interesting to me that the majority of the boats are on the very small side (16 feet). To me that indicates the people that are buying are probably first time boaters looking for an inexpensive boat to get them on the water. We all know that's a pretty small boat, and how compelling two-foot-itis is.
Steve
"Serendipity" - 2017 Sweetwater 2286 WB Tritoon w/ 150HP Yamaha
Slipped at Lake Anna, Virginia
Primary Residence: Richmond, Virgina
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Steiner
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#5 Post by Steiner » Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:57 am

steve1313 wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:18 am
It's interesting to me that the majority of the boats are on the very small side (16 feet). To me that indicates the people that are buying are probably first time boaters looking for an inexpensive boat to get them on the water. We all know that's a pretty small boat, and how compelling two-foot-itis is.

Local Godfrey dealer said last year he was selling a lot of the small ones mainly because most first time buyers didn't expect to walk in and find out a "normal" 20 footer with trailer is over $30k out the door new now. Those -0 numbers are mental break points. He said that the one I had bought in 2017 would be another $5k if set up the same in 2019 so he was cutting stuff off of them to try to keep the OTD number below $30k.

Everything related to outdoors is behind because of Covid. Heck, even the local KFC was shut down yesterday because of staffing. I had a issue with my front Dowco top mid-July and they said to send it in to see if it qualified for warranty. I was worried about missing lake time so I asked about just buying one, sending mine in, and if they found out it was a warranty issue they could just refund me. They said the plant was behind because of Covid and if I wanted a new top it would take at least four weeks to send one out. Sent mine in and had it back repaired in a week door to door.

And the double whammy is: Supply chain and manufacturing disruption caused by Covid, but increased demand also caused by Covid. Weird times. At least Charmin got caught up!
2019 G3 SunCatcher V322 SS tritoon, Yamaha F200
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coherent
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#6 Post by coherent » Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:14 am

Well I just received a surprise email from my dealer and my pontoon has been built and has been assigned to a shipment load... expected delivery is next week. Woohoo! :nana

BobL
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#7 Post by BobL » Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:30 am

steve1313 wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:18 am
To me that indicates the people that are buying are probably first time boaters...
I can vouch for this. Our lake is much busier than normal and full of people that don't know what a no wake zone means or how to backup a trailer :biggrin2

Of course I am being patient because they are having fun and I was in their shoes 30 years ago.
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#8 Post by coherent » Wed Sep 30, 2020 12:29 pm

BobL wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:30 am

I can vouch for this. Our lake is much busier than normal and full of people that don't know what a no wake zone means or how to backup a trailer :biggrin2

Of course I am being patient because they are having fun and I was in their shoes 30 years ago.
I think there are folks who take a couple lawn chairs and a cooler of beer and just sit on the bank near the boat ramps at their local lake during busy holiday weekends and watch the loading and unloading for entertainment

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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#9 Post by Steiner » Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:49 pm

coherent wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:14 am
Well I just received a surprise email from my dealer and my pontoon has been built and has been assigned to a shipment load... expected delivery is next week. Woohoo! :nana
Sweet! Just in time to winterize it! Ha ha!

Maybe my neighbor at our lake campground will deliver it. He does runs from Hendersonville, NC to Indiana to pick up RV's (80% of all in US built in northern Indiana and most of those built in one county) and boats. They have wore his ass out this year. Said he's never seen the job boards like this.
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coherent
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#10 Post by coherent » Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:51 pm

Steiner wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:49 pm

Sweet! Just in time to winterize it! Ha ha!
I'm in Arizona. The southern lakes and Colorado river boating areas stay fairly mild all winter. Havasu was 103 today and daytime temps of 95 or so in Oct 75 in Nov, 65 in Dec, so not really a winterizing season. if you feel like boating or fishing you can enjoy it over winter. Actually it's summers that are bad... days it get too darn hot. I've owned a few boats while living here and in the heat of summer we often wait until the sun goes down to boat and fish. The cruising and sight seeing kinda sucks at night tho :biggrin2 .

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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#11 Post by Bamaman » Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:06 pm

Our local Bennington dealer is essentially out of pontoons. And the local Tracker's lot is also empty.

We're also seeing an incredible number of late model pontoons on Facebook for sale. I suspect monthly payments #3 and #4 are due (out of 180 payments) and those Fall and Winter monthly installments are especially difficult to make when the boat's not being used. Many might have overstepped their pocketbooks in these COROVID times.
'12 Bennington 24' SSLX Yamaha 150

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ROLAND
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#12 Post by ROLAND » Thu Oct 01, 2020 1:01 am

coherent wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 12:29 pm
BobL wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:30 am

I can vouch for this. Our lake is much busier than normal and full of people that don't know what a no wake zone means or how to backup a trailer :biggrin2

Of course I am being patient because they are having fun and I was in their shoes 30 years ago.
I think there are folks who take a couple lawn chairs and a cooler of beer and just sit on the bank near the boat ramps at their local lake during busy holiday weekends and watch the loading and unloading for entertainment
I know this is true... I was in Houston on business a few years back.. my hotel was just down the street from a big lake.. had nothing to to do so I pulled over near the ramp and just sat there for a couple of hours and laughed and laughed and laughed... Of course I did that from inside my car because it wasn't too many years before that - that was me taking forever to back my boat down. live and learn. lol
Roland & Jo
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TWB
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#13 Post by TWB » Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:29 am

coherent wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:51 pm

The cruising and sight seeing kinda sucks at night tho :biggrin2 .
Nah - That's easy! Just do what most uninformed newbies do -- just cruise around with EVERY DAMN FLOODLIGHT YOU HAVE ON! It amazes me how many people will cruise at night with their boat lit up like a Christmas tree.

There's an AirBnB close to us that has a dock. Pretty nice selling point. Last Spring, some tourists brought a v-hull. One evening, they're coming in with enough lights to flood a working commercial port. So much on the boat, that they had to have everything on the front of the boat burning to be able to see. I laughed and opened another beer... on my patio.


:nono :nono
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Steiner
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#14 Post by Steiner » Thu Oct 01, 2020 6:13 am

coherent wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:51 pm
Steiner wrote:
Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:49 pm

Sweet! Just in time to winterize it! Ha ha!
I'm in Arizona. The southern lakes and Colorado river boating areas stay fairly mild all winter. Havasu was 103 today and daytime temps of 95 or so in Oct 75 in Nov, 65 in Dec, so not really a winterizing season. if you feel like boating or fishing you can enjoy it over winter. Actually it's summers that are bad... days it get too darn hot. I've owned a few boats while living here and in the heat of summer we often wait until the sun goes down to boat and fish. The cruising and sight seeing kinda sucks at night tho :biggrin2 .
You know what? You can kiss my grits. We're going to the camper Sunday to get our food out of it. This is the earliest we've stopped taking the boat, those cold fronts have kept the highs around 70 on my weekends off.

I know we could fart around in that but the main reason we go is to take the dogs out and let them play in the water. Getting them in the water and getting wet, then trying to ride at 70 is too cool for me.
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Steiner
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Re: New Boat Delivery Schedules

#15 Post by Steiner » Thu Oct 01, 2020 6:17 am

[youtube]https://youtu.be/2oq0YNo02KM[/youtube]
2019 G3 SunCatcher V322 SS tritoon, Yamaha F200
2019 F-150 XLT SuperCrew FX4, 3.5L EcoBoost Max Trailer Tow Package

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